


clues

by Azemex



Category: Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: (i think so??), Angst, Everyone but Tim are only cameos, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt Tim Drake, I think some of them don’t even talk, Tim Drake Needs a Hug, Tim Drake-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:15:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28372251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azemex/pseuds/Azemex
Summary: Bruce would look at him, with those eyes showing only trust,trust that is so easy to break, to bend, to misuse.And heknew.Bruce left those clues for him, he never doubted him, he knew that Tim would look at them and come to the conclusion he needed.I’m alive, find me.And as always Tim listened.or, Tim was always meant to find Bruce
Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne
Comments: 6
Kudos: 179





	clues

**Author's Note:**

> Don’t know if the tags are right?? Tim is just a sad boy, so this is sad

It was always going to be him.

He was going to be the one to read the clues, the paintings, the scratches left with desperation, because they weren’t waiting for someone to find them, if that was the case, Alfred would have been the first, hell, maybe even Bruce.

Instead they were waiting for someone to connect them, to really look at them, to see them and think, _“This looks different”,_ because that’s what they were meant to be, to stand out.

An old painting of a man resembling a similar appearance to Bruce, an old batarang, a painting of a bat left in a cave, myths about a god, _all art._

They weren’t inspiration to the Batman, they were his creations.

And Tim was the only one who noticed it.

* * *

He first noticed the painting when he started being Robin.

“Alfred, doesn’t he look a lot like B?” he had asked, but he doesn’t remember getting an answer (there wasn’t, the butler too busy trying to convince the man to stay in bed).

Tim had shrugged. “Whatever, you do look a lot like B and that’s really weird, considering how old you are, how strong are the Wayne genetics?” he remembers asking himself.

He got the answer years later in the form of a mini assassin trying to kill him, good times. 

* * *

“Hey B,” the man hummed, “you sure you didn’t become Batman because of this Barbatos god?”

“I’m sure, I was there when I came up with the name”

“Ha ha, very funny but I’m serious, there are a lot of sightings about this god around the world, and his paintings look a little like your batarangs if you squint and—”

Bruce interrupted him. “Aren’t you supposed to be in your house Tim? It’s getting late and I remember you said something about a movie”

He cursed. “What time is it? Dad is gonna kill me”

* * *

Bruce was dead, and that painting stared back at him.

_Mordecai Wayne,_ it said.

He looked through the man’s face, if this, if this is what he thinks it is, the scar should be…

Right _there._

On the shadow of his lower lip, not noticeable enough if you don’t look for it, but when _you_ _do_.

He bit his lip, held back his tears and took a deep breath.

Bruce may be out there, and he needs them to find him if that’s the case.

Tim needed to keep his calm, he couldn’t crumble at the sight of a clue left by his mentor.

* * *

Dick didn’t trust him, which meant that Alfred didn’t either, and Cassie, she, and…there was no one else who he would go for this, Cass left, no longer Batgirl and Tim was scared to look for her, to find another pity eyes and kind words.

He—

He will find Bruce on his own.

* * *

“I must say I’m impressed Timothy. I had stumbled across these objects at least once, but I had never made the connection between them” Ra’s praised him.

“They were made to be connected” Tim answered back, he finally had enough proof that Bruce was alive, he will come back and he _(he will give him Robin, will give him his place, will be his father andandan—)_ will stay _(he doesn’t, Dick stays as Batman and Damian as Robin, Bruce leaves for Batman Inc and there’s nothing for Tim to stay)._

Ra’s smiled. “Indeed they were Detective”

* * *

After Bruce came back and Tim found out about Damian’s interest in art he wondered for a moment if he had been wrong, if perhaps all those clues weren’t meant for him, instead for someone else, but as he is apparently known for _—pretenderreplacement—_ , he took them _—stealing another name uh? guess I should start calling you pretender too like the brat does—_ and made them his to be found, his to be heard.

He wondered.

But then Bruce would look at him, with those eyes showing only trust, _trust that is so easy to break, to bend, to misuse._

And he _knew._

Bruce left those clues for him, he never doubted him, he knew that Tim would look at them and come to the conclusion he needed.

_I’m alive, find me._

And as always Tim listened.

He smiles back to Bruce, tuning out Jason’s voice where he is talking shit about Tim, _probably bonding with the little demon._

It’s okay, he will be gone soon, out of here, somewhere where they won’t look at him with trusting eyes but harsh words, or was it backwards? 

Because Tim may read you and understand what you are trying to say.

But oh, he would love so much for someone to tell him the truth.

He is so tired of hearing, seeing and breathing lies.

He makes eye contact with Cassandra, she blinks back. 

_Let’s go,_ he says.

_Dad’s here,_ she answers back.

She, just like him, stays in Gotham because of Bruce, because he _saved_ them, he showed them what true love was, what a parent was supposed to be, and he sometimes wasn’t perfect, but he tried _(sometimes trying is not enough)._

They weren’t Dick or Jason, the first Robin had lived with a loving family, and Jason who by all means had a shitty childhood but still a parent who loved him. No, Cass and Tim still had parents when they ended up with Bruce, that changed everything, made them notice the difference between them, made them choose. _(Tim had it hard, until his father was killed, there was only one choice when there used to be three)_

But Cass wasn’t a Gothamite, she didn’t know how it was to live your childhood asking yourself if you should bring a mask in case Scarecrow goes out again or what mask you should show to the next gala because people want to see you break and they’ll do everything for it to happen and—

The point is Cass understands his feelings for Bruce, but she doesn’t get his need for hiding, for running away from things that he loves, she doesn’t know that it’s his own way of protecting them.

Tim gets up, gaining everyone’s attention. “I think I’m gonna leave now, I have to go with the Titan’s tomorrow and I still haven’t packed everything”

He doesn’t pay attention to Damian’s comment about his laziness or Jason’s about how amazing it will be that he won’t have to see his face for a few weeks. 

He does ponder, not for the first time, _why do you hate me?,_ he looks at Jason’s face where he is trying to get Dick off him, _is it because I was Robin? Because Stephanie was too and Damian is Robin now. Please look at me, I’m not Robin anymore, just like you, and it hurted so much, can’t you see it?_ but he doesn’t ask anything, too afraid to hear the answer.

“Goodbye brother” Cass says, bringing him out of his mind.

“Goodbye sister” he looks at her, and he wonders if they have noticed it.

How Cass would call him brother and he would call her sister, but they have never called any of the others those names _(he wanted to call Dick like that, but there was_ something, _something in his eyes, too kind, too good to be true, in hindsight, he wasn’t wrong)_ , to their eyes, they only have one sibling.

He doesn’t look at Dick, too painful, too raw, too…too familiar.

So many memories.

But no names.

“Call me when you arrive at the Tower, and you should take something to eat during the flight” Bruce tells him, with loving eyes and kind words.

Tim nods, noticing Cass ending Dick’s and Jason’s argument, then going back to look at Bruce like he hanged the stars.

“Bye Bruce”

He leaves, away from kind _harshpitycarelessunderstanding_ eyes and loving _hatefulharshdisgustingcalm_ words.

**Author's Note:**

> mmmm, hi?? someone give tim a hug, pls and thanks


End file.
